Tag Archives: growth

When the road turns….

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clip art winding_road sign

 

 

 

 

 

 

I read a tweet from @realDonaldTrump this morning…

“The bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you refuse to take the turn” Anonymous

This got me thinking.

In life we make plans, set goals, dream big – but what happens when life changes? The scenery changes, the neighborhood changes, our family changes, our finances change, my relationships change, my surroundings change, my health changes, my job changes.

Change, change, change.

It is how I deal with change that determines the results of change.

I have seen people that have refused to accept change and the result is that life passed them on and they became a casualty of the ‘bend’ in the road that became the ‘end’ of the road.

I have also seen people that accept and embrace change and the result is that they are continuing down the road. The windows are open, they are experiencing the ‘wind’ of life, the freshness of the air, the warm of the sunshine and the new scenery.

Determine to look at life as a CONSTANT change. I challenge you to EMBRACE the changes in your children, the movement of life, and the newness of each day. Some changes happen naturally, some changes happen internally, and some changes happen externally. Don’t build a permanent fixture in a temporary location, but rather build a permanent memory in a temporary location.

Every day brings new change and new challenges, but remember that His mercies are NEW every morning (they change too!), and that He places where He can move you to NEW things.

While driving down the road of life do not let the ‘bend’ become the ‘end’.

What are some things you have learned in dealing with the bending road? I would love to hear them.

clip art long winding road p92b_saint_gothard_pass_switzerland

 

 

 

 

Enjoying the scenery,
David

 

Gardeners and their Gardens

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Ever wonder why something happens in your life?

Ever wonder why something doesn’t happen?

All things in life happen as a result. From the simple impulses that generate activity and movement in our bodies to the massive events that occur in our lives from words spoken, actions taken, behavior displayed, and thoughts executed. Things happen as results.

 

We reap what we sow.

 

The best picture I see of this is from the life of a gardener and the need to sow in order to reap.

 

Gardeners Delight

 

 

 

 

The gardener sows specific seeds

I am not an expert in farming or gardening; in fact I have no green thumbs, but I do know that if I expect to harvest some fruit and vegetables I need to sow some seed. Specific seed. The gardener decides (or knows) what they would like to grow and plants specific seeds to achieve those results. Specific seeds yield specific fruit. Every time I have asked a gardener what they planted in a garden they tell me exactly what they expect. They know this because they were specific in what seeds they sowed.


The gardener has expectations

I have yet to talk with a gardener that does not have expectations from the seeds sown. Most gardeners have tremendous, large expectations. Expectations to a gardener are fuel

for their passion. A fuel that propels them and sustains them as they endure the season from sowing to reaping. Expectation is met with excitement when little green shoots project skyward thru the cultivated soil. Talk with any gardener and they will tell you what they expect from the seeds they have sown. Their eyes light up when they tell you how much, how tasty and how good their harvest will be.

 

The gardener places what he wants to get

Row upon row of fertile ground is worked, cultivated and nurtured because seeds will be placed into the soil. The seeds placed are what the gardener wants to grow. A gardener

does not plant a seed of corn expecting cucumbers. He places in the ground the seed which has in it the DNA of the final product. There is no guessing at what he will reap; in fact, he knows before he sows what he will get by way of taste, look, feel, color. He places into the ground what he wants to get out of the ground.

 

The gardener is always thinking sowing and reaping

When a garden is planned and developed the mindest that is found in a gardener is that both of sowing and reaping. It is not one or the other. It is both. Having a continual mindset of sowing and a continual mindset of reaping is what keeps the gardener creative, intuitive and flexible. The mindset of sowing places the gardener in a process of evaluation and determination. The mindset of reaping places the gardener in of process of evaluation and expectation. Changes in methods are the result of the evaluation of both the seed and the fruit received. Creativity enters to enhance the process and the results.

Gardening is all about the results 

Everything a gardener does is for the final product. The drive to get up early and work the soil is because of the payoff at the end. The reason the soil is cultivated and nurtured is because the gardener wants results. Weeds are pulled so the plants will get every bit of nourishment and nothing will go wasted elsewhere – why? because the gardener wants the best results. The attention to detail is so the final product will be the best. Every gardener takes pride in the results, and so they should. The better the results the bigger the smile.

 

God’s Word is not silent about gardening

He paints pictures of garden throughout the Bible. He planted the first garden…and it was good, real good. Jesus refers to the Word as seed and its activity in our lives.

If you want to see different results in your life check the seeds that are being planted in your life.

If you want to see different results in relationships check the seeds that are being planted.


Sow SPECIFIC seeds, sow with EXPECTATION, place IN what you want to GET OUT, have a CONTINUAL mindset of sowing and reaping, sow for RESULTS, and most importantly SOW the WORD

 

 

 

I would love your comments and feedback…
Always sowing, always reaping

David

GET IN THE GAME

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I have a confession to make, I am a sports enthusiast. I watch a game, then I watch the highlights (sometimes twice). My wife does not pass on any vital information during an event because history has shown that I can only do one thing at a time. My enjoyment of sports stems from a childhood filled with activity.

I vividly remember, as a child, staying awake late in the night, thinking and eventually dreaming about the game in the morning. I played soccer (football for the traditionalists) and just loved running up and down the field often in a small mob chasing a black and white checkered sphere. As I grew older skills developed and the love for the game took on more       meaning. My passion for the game drove me to practice, train, exercise, get up early, go for runs; basically doing anything I could to play more and ensure that I got into the game.

I wanted to get into the game, standing on the sidelines was not what my idea of fun; it was not what I devoted hours of my time to. I wanted to contribute. I wanted to help my team win. I wanted to run. I wanted to shoot. I wanted to be involved. I wanted to score…I wanted to play.

Although life is not a game; many of us stand on the sideline watching life wondering “Why does this happen to me?”

You can change that, don’t let life happen; make life happen – there is a difference. The difference is found within. God has given each of us passions, gifts, personality that is uniquely you – it is who you are! Use your passion to fuel you to change your surroundings; change a ‘ho-hum’ day to a day filled with purpose – do something on purpose that scares you!

Use the gifts (those talents that you have) to change the scenery around your life. Just like a garden changes and grows from the talent and eye of the gardener so can the scenery of your life change from the talent you have. Volunteer for a community event that needs your talents, coach a sports team, commit time in your local church that needs your specific talents.

Allow your personality to come out; display who you are, take pride in what you do, let those intricacies that you think are a deficit find meaning in the lives of those around you. Do not let the pace of the game (or life) paralyze you, step out and step up. Be a part of the team. You do have something to offer.

When we take the routine of life and submit to its schedule and demands we become spectators, but when we take the routine of life and influence it, we become participators.

In Ephesians 4:16 Paul writes ‘From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint  supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love’.  And then in 1 Corithians 12:18 he also writes ‘But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him’. We all play a part in the game of life.

Get in the game.

Become a participator, not a spectator – because the Coach has a special assignment just for you.

Enjoying the game,

david

Behind the wheel of a red Ford Escort.

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When I turned 16 my Dad taught me how to drive. He gave me lots of pointers: ‘gas pedal is on the right, brake is on the left (I learned to drive an automatic, not a manual transmission).  Make sure your foot is on the brake when you shift into gear.  Look both ways before you proceed thru an intersection. Never start the car while it is in gear.   Make sure you check your fuel gage – do you have enough gas to get where you are going?   Don’t eat while you are driving.  Don’t have the music too loud (in fact driving with no music was preferred).  Don’t talk too much.  Keep both hands on the steering wheel.  Don’t look at girls while driving.’  The list was endless! Cell phones were not around back then, otherwise I am sure I would have been banned from having one to prevent me from texting and talking, but one of the most important lessons he taught me was about focus.  ‘David, what are you looking at, what are you focusing on?’  This was a question that my dad frequently asked!

Over the next few days I will be posting some of the lessons I learned while sitting behind the wheel of a red Ford Escort. The lessons while in a vehicle have many truths and applications in life. My hope is that you will read, learn, grow, laugh, and apply.

I look forward to reading your comments.

Enjoy the drive -david